Wimbledon champ Andy Murray is the greatest Scot of all

"It was a transforming experience for the country and a moment when Scotland bonded together, and that’s unusual in moments like that" (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

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ARCHIE MACPHERSON believes Andy Murray’s achievement in winning Wimbledon is now enshrined as the greatest moment in this country’s sporting history.

And Scotland’s longest-established broadcaster and commentator was the man who commentated on Celtic’s win over Inter Milan in 1967 to become the first British side to win the European Cup.

Archie is a walking encyclopaedia on Caledonian catastrophes and tartan triumphs, and nothing surpasses what Murray did to Novak Djokovic in straight sets – even if he has to admit he didn’t expect the new champion to beat his old foe.

Macpherson said: “I gave Andy no chance of a win because I thought the weight of expectation on his shoulders was so great it would ultimately prove to be his downfall.

“The BBC spoke about him in almost biblical terms before the match and it was a testament to his strength of character that Murray rose above it all to win.

“I found myself shouting at my TV during that momentous last game when he had four championship points before winning.

“It was a transforming experience for the country and a moment when Scotland bonded together, and that’s unusual in moments like that.

“If Celtic or Rangers were to play in a European final the rivalry would be so great one lot of supporters would hope the other side lost. But Murray united a nation.

“Scottish sport is always a balance between individual triumph, such as Allan Wells, Lachie Stewart and Ken Buchanan, and team failure like Scotland’s World Cup in Argentina, Celtic in Seville and Rangers in Manchester.

“But Murray’s moment was so great in my eyes because it showed what happens when one man gets rewarded for having taken an almost freakish diversion from normal life to make himself a champion.

“When you’re in Murray’s position you can’t have a casual relationship with your chosen sport.

“You need to be totally obsessed by it, and that’s been the case in his life since he left home as a teenager to learn his craft abroad.

“Maybe the break-up of his parents’ marriage helped Andy to focus on himself as well.”

Macpherson watched Murray from the comfort of his holiday home in the East Neuk of Fife.

And he went outside in between sets to assess the interest his neighbours had in London SW19.

He said: “Everybody was watching the match. The guy made us emotional and the joy we carried from the day was the legacy of his achievement.

“It doesn’t matter if it does turn out to be a one-off, which it might very well be, Murray is a Scottish phenomenon. And he became so in what was really a gladiatorial arena on Centre Court.

“This is not to detract from what Sir Chris Hoy or any other man, or woman, from this country has achieved. It is to pay tribute to this 26-year-old man’s strength of will.

“The weight of history surrounded the 77-year-long wait to finally do what Fred Perry managed to achieve in the Mens’ Singles Final.

“We get so used to expecting disappointment in major events that just getting to a final is supposed to be the prize for us.

“But Andy refused to be restricted by that frame of mind.

“When you consider the size of the global television audience watching him and Djokovic, it makes it all the more remarkable that he could win in straight sets.”

Archie, like the rest of us, could have done without the tightrope nature of that last game.

He added: “It was as if Andy was playing with our emotions. But this was a reminder of human vulnerability.

“They tell me Murray has a soft spot for the Hibs, and you can’t get much more human than that.

“I’m not detracting from any person, or team, when I say it was gladiatorial combat between Murray and his opponent.

“Whether it was track and field, or a swimming pool in the case of the ?great David Wilkie, we used to have men who were expected to win at times. Andy wasn’t the favourite to beat the world’s No.1 tennis player, and in our heart of hearts the majority of us believed he was destined to be runner-up.

“But he delivered a long, drawn-out form of proof that he’s an extraordinary person as well as sportsman.

“In Lisbon all those years ago I saw 11 Scots beat Inter Milan to win a well sought-after trophy, but it was a team triumph and not one man’s crusade.

“Murray has inspired the country by doing something so remarkable it has to take pride of place in the list of Scotland’s sporting achievements.

“My only regret is the First Minister, Alex Salmond, cheekily displaying the Saltire at the end of the match.

“Everyone in the country united behind Andy and took pride in his achievement, of course we did, but any political overtones are unacceptable.

“It’s better to remember that some people make tremendous sacrifices in life in order to achieve sporting greatness and end up with nothing to show for it.

“Sometimes they do so to a fanatical degree without getting any return on their emotional investment. Andy’s obsession took him to the summit of his career.”